The Wesleyan
Discipline (2004)
Article
2. Articles of Religion
1. Faith in the Holy Trinity
210. We believe in the one living and true
God, both holy and loving,
eternal, unlimited
in power, wisdom and goodness, the Creator and Preserver
of all things. Within
this unity there are three persons of one essential
nature,
power
and eternity — the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Gen. 1:1; 17:1; Ex. 3:13-15; 33:20; Deut.
6:4; Ps. 90:2; Isa.
40:28-29; Matt. 3:16-17; 28:19; John 1:1-2;
17:3; Acts 5:3-4;
Col. 1:16-17; 1 Tim. 1:17; Heb. 1:8; 1
John 5:20.
2. The Father
212. We believe the Father is the Source of
all that exists, whether of
matter
or spirit. With the Son and the Holy Spirit, He made man, male and
female,
in His image. By intention He relates to people as Father, thereby
forever
declaring His goodwill toward them. In love, He both seeks and
receives
penitent sinners.
Ps. 68:5; Isa. 64:8; Matt. 7:11; John
1 Peter
1:17.
3. The Son of God
214. We believe in Jesus Christ, the only
begotten Son of God. He was
conceived
by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, truly God and truly
man.
He died on the cross and was buried, to be a sacrifice
both for original
sin
and for all human transgressions, and to reconcile us to God. Christ rose
bodily
from the dead, and ascended into heaven, and there intercedes for us at
the
Father’s right hand until He returns to judge all humanity at the last
day.
Ps. 16:8-10; Matt. 1:21, 23; 11:27; 16:28; 27:62-66; 28:5-9,
16-
17; Mark 10:45; 15; 16:6-7; Luke 1:27, 31, 35; 24:4-8, 23; John
1:1, 14, 18; 3:16-17; 20:26-29; 21; Acts 1:2-3; 2:24-31; 4:12;
10:40; Rom. 5:10, 18; 8:34; 14:9; 1 Cor.
15:3-8, 14; 2 Cor.
5:18-19; Gal. 1:4; 2:20; 4:4-5; Eph. 5:2; 1 Tim. 1:15; Heb
2:17;
4. The Holy Spirit
216. We believe in the Holy Spirit who
proceeds from the Father and
the
Son, and is of the same essential nature, majesty, and glory, as the Father
and
the Son, truly and eternally God. He is the Administrator of grace to all,
and
is particularly the effective Agent in conviction for sin, in regeneration, in
sanctification,
and in glorification. He is ever present, assuring,
preserving,
guiding,
and enabling the believer.
Job 33:4; Matt. 28:19; John
Acts 5:3-4; Rom. 8:9; 2 Cor. 3:17; Gal. 4:6.
5. The Sufficiency and Full
Authority
of
the Holy Scriptures for Salvation
218. We believe that the books of the Old
and New Testaments
constitute
the Holy Scriptures. They are the inspired and infallibly written
Word of God, fully inerrant in their original manuscripts
and superior to all
human
authority, and have been transmitted to the present without corruption
of any essential
doctrine. We believe that they contain all things necessary to
salvation;
so that whatever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is
not
to be required of any man or woman that it should be believed as an article
of faith, or be thought
requisite or necessary to salvation. Both in the Old and
New Testaments life is offered
ultimately through Christ, who is the only
Mediator between God and humanity.
The New Testament teaches Christians
how
to fulfill the moral principles of the Old Testament, calling for loving
obedience
to God made possible by the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit.
The canonical books of the Old Testament are:
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua,
Judges,
Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings,
2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles,
Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes,
The Song of
Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel,
Hosea, Joel, Amos,
Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai,
Zechariah
and
Malachi.
The canonical books of the New Testament are:
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1
Corinthians, 2 Corinthians,
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians,
1 Timothy, 2 Timothy,
Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John,
2 John, 3 John, Jude
and Revelation.
Ps. 19:7; Matt.
5:46; 17:17; Acts 17:2, 11; Rom. 1:2; 15:4, 8; 16:26; 2 Cor.
1 John
2:3-7; Rev. 22:18-19.
6. God’s Purpose for Humanity
220. We believe that the two great
commandments which require us to
love
the Lord our God with all the heart, and our neighbors as ourselves,
summarize
the divine law as it is revealed in the Scriptures. They are the
perfect
measure and norm of human duty, both for the ordering and directing
of families and
nations, and all other social bodies, and for individual acts, by
which
we are required to acknowledge God as our only Supreme Ruler, and
all
persons as created by Him, equal in all natural rights. Therefore all persons
should
so order all their individual, social and political acts as to give to God
entire
and absolute obedience, and to assure to all the enjoyment of every
natural
right, as well as to promote the fulfillment of each in the possession
and
exercise of such rights.
Lev. 19:18, 34; Deut. 1:16-17; Job 31:13-14; Jer. 21:12; 22:3;
Micah 6:8; Matt.
35; John 13:34-35; Acts
10; Gal.
2:5; 4:12-13; 2 John 6.
7. Marriage and the Family
222. We believe that every person is created
in the image of God, that
human
sexuality reflects that image in terms of intimate love, communication,
fellowship,
subordination of the self to the larger whole, and fulfillment. God’s
Word makes use of the marriage relationship as the supreme
metaphor for His
relationship
with His covenant people and for revealing the truth that that
relationship
is of one God with one people. Therefore God’s plan for human
sexuality
is that it is to be expressed only in a monogamous lifelong relationship
between
one man and one woman within the framework of marriage. This is
the
only relationship which is divinely designed for the birth and rearing of
children
and is a covenant union made in the sight of God, taking priority over
every
other human relationship.
Gen. 1:27-28;
Ezek. 16:3ff.; Hosea 2; Mal.
John 2:1-2, 11; 1 Cor. 9:5; Eph.
5:23-32; 1 Tim. 5:14; Heb.
13:4; Rev. 19:7-8.
8. Personal Choice
224. We believe that humanity’s
creation in the image of God included
ability
to choose between right and wrong. Thus individuals
were made
morally
responsible for their choices. But since the fall of Adam,
people are
unable
in their own strength to do the right. This is due to original sin,
which
is not simply the following of Adam’s example, but rather the
corruption
of the nature of each mortal, and is reproduced naturally in
Adam’s descendants. Because
of it, humans are very far gone from original
righteousness,
and by nature are continually inclined to evil. They cannot
of themselves even call
upon God or exercise faith for salvation. But
through
Jesus Christ the prevenient grace of God makes possible
what
humans
in self effort cannot do. It is bestowed freely upon
all, enabling all
who
will to turn and be saved.
Gen. 6:5;
51:5; Isa. 64:6; Jer.
17:9; Mark 7:21-23; Luke 16:15; John 7:17;
Rom.
Titus 3:5; Heb. 11:6; Rev. 22:17.
9. The Atonement
226. We believe that Christ’s offering
of himself, once and for all, through
His sufferings and meritorious death on the cross, provides
the perfect
redemption
and atonement for the sins of the whole world, both original and
actual.
There is no other ground of salvation from sin but that alone. This
atonement
is sufficient for every individual of Adam’s race. It is
unconditionally
effective in the salvation of those mentally incompetent from
birth,
of those converted persons who have become mentally incompetent, and
of children under the
age of accountability. But it is effective for the
salvation
of those who reach the
age of accountability only when they repent and
exercise
faith in Christ.
Isa.
52:13—53:12; Luke 24:46-47; John 3:16; Acts
Rom.
15:22; Gal. 2:16; 3:2-3; Eph. 1:7; 2:13, 16; 1 Tim. 2:5-6; Heb.
10. Repentance and Faith
228. We believe that for men and women to
appropriate what God’s
prevenient
grace has made possible, they must voluntarily respond in
repentance
and faith. The ability comes from God, but the act is the
individual’s. Repentance is prompted by the convicting ministry of the Holy
Spirit.
It involves a willful change of mind that renounces sin and
longs for
righteousness,
a godly sorrow for and a confession of past sins, proper
restitution
for wrongdoings, and a resolution to reform the life. Repentance
is the precondition for
saving faith, and without it saving faith is impossible.
Faith, in turn, is the only condition of salvation. It
begins in the agreement
of the mind and the
consent of the will to the truth of the gospel, but issues
in a complete reliance
by the whole person in the saving ability of Jesus Christ
and a
complete trusting of oneself to Him as Savior and Lord. Saving faith is
expressed
in a public acknowledgment of His Lordship and an identification
with
His Church.
Mark 1:15; Luke 5:32; 13:3; 24:47; John
Acts 5:31; 10:43; 11:18; 16:31; 20:21; 26:20; Rom. 1:16; 2:4;
10:8-10, 17; Gal. 3:26; Eph. 2:8; 4:4-6; Phil. 3:9; 2 Thess. 2:13;
2 Tim.
2:25; Heb. 11:6; 12:2; 1 Peter 1:9; 2 Peter 3:9.
11. Justification, Regeneration and
Adoption
230. We believe that when one repents of
personal sin and believes on
the
Lord Jesus Christ, that at the same moment that person is justified,
regenerated,
adopted into the family of God, and assured of personal salvation
through
the witness of the Holy Spirit.
We believe that justification is the judicial act of God
whereby a person
is accounted righteous,
granted full pardon of all sin, delivered from guilt,
completely
released from the penalty of sins committed, by the merit of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, by faith alone, not on the basis of works.
We believe that regeneration, or the new birth, is that work
of the Holy
Spirit whereby, when one truly repents and believes,
one’s moral nature is given
a distinctively
spiritual life with the capacity for love and obedience. This new
life
is received by faith in Jesus Christ, it enables the pardoned sinner to serve
God with the will and affections of the heart, and by it the
regenerate are
delivered
from the power of sin which reigns over all the unregenerate.
We believe that adoption is the act of God by which the
justified and
regenerated
believer becomes a partaker of all the rights, privileges and
responsibilities
of a child of God.
Justification: Hab. 2:4; Acts
3:28; 4:2-5; 5:1-2; Gal. 3:6-14; Eph. 2:8-9; Phil 3:9; Heb.
10:38.
Regeneration: John 1:12-13; 3:3, 5-8; 2
Cor. 5:17; Gal. 3:26; Eph.
2:5, 10, 19;
2 Peter
1:4; 1 John 3:1.
Adoption: Rom.
Witness of the Spirit: Rom.
12. Good Works
232. We believe that although good works
cannot save us from our sins
or from God’s
judgment, they are the fruit of faith and follow after
regeneration. Therefore they are pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ,
and
by them a living faith may be as evidently known as a tree is discerned by
its
fruit.
Matt. 5:16; 7:16-20; John 15:8; Rom 3:20; 4:2, 4, 6; Gal.
Titus 2:14; 3:5; James 2:18, 22; 1 Peter
2:9, 12.
13. Sin After
Regeneration
234. We believe that after we have
experienced regeneration, it is possible
to fall into sin, for
in this life there is no such height or strength of holiness
from
which it is impossible to fall. But by the grace of
God one who has fallen
into
sin may by true repentance and faith find forgiveness and restoration.
Mal. 3:7; Matt. 18:21-22; John 15:4-6; 1
Tim. 4:1, 16;
Heb. 10:35-39; 1 John 1:9; 2:1, 24-25.
14. Sanctification: Initial,
Progressive, Entire
236. We believe that sanctification is that
work of the Holy Spirit by
which
the child of God is separated from sin unto God and is enabled to love
God with all the heart and to walk in all
His holy commandments blameless.
Sanctification is initiated at the moment
of justification and regeneration.
From that moment there is a gradual or progressive
sanctification as the
believer
walks with God and daily grows in grace and in a more perfect
obedience
to God. This prepares for the crisis of entire sanctification which
is wrought
instantaneously when believers present themselves as living
sacrifices,
holy and acceptable to God, through faith in Jesus Christ, being
effected by
the baptism with the Holy Spirit who cleanses the heart from all
inbred
sin. The crisis of entire sanctification perfects the believer in love and
empowers
that person for effective service. It is followed by
lifelong growth
in grace and the
knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The life of
holiness
continues through faith in the sanctifying blood of Christ and
evidences
itself by loving obedience to God’s revealed will.
Gen. 17:1; Deut. 30:6; Ps. 130:8; Isa.
6:1-6; Ezek. 36:25-29;
Matt. 5:8, 48; Luke 1:74-75; 3:16-17; 24:49; John 17:1-26; Acts
1:4-5, 8; 2:1-4; 15:8-9; 26:18; Rom. 8:3-4; 1 Cor. 1:2; 6:11; 2
Cor. 7:1;
Eph.
8;
13:12; James 3:17-18; 4:8; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:4; 1 John
1:7,
9; 3:8-9;
4:17-18; Jude 24.
15. The Gifts of the Spirit
238. We believe that the Gift of the Spirit
is the Holy Spirit himself, and
He is to be desired more than the gifts of the Spirit which
He in His wise
counsel
bestows upon individual members of the Church to enable them
properly
to fulfill their function as members of the body of Christ. The gifts
of the Spirit, although
not always identifiable with natural abilities, function
through
them for the edification of the whole Church. These gifts are to be
exercised
in love under the administration of the Lord of the Church, not
through
human volition. The relative value of the gifts of the Spirit is to be
tested
by their usefulness in the Church and not by the ecstasy produced in
the
ones receiving them.
Luke
13:20-21; 1 Peter 4:8-11.
16. The Church
240. We believe that the Christian Church is
the entire body of believers in
Jesus Christ, who is the founder
and only Head of the Church. The Church
includes
both those believers who have gone to be with the Lord and those who
remain
on the earth, having renounced the world, the flesh and the devil, and
having
dedicated themselves to the work which Christ committed unto His church
until
He comes. The Church on earth is to preach the pure Word of God, properly
administer
the sacraments according to Christ’s instructions, and live in obedience
to all that Christ
commands. A local church is a body of believers formally
organized
on gospel principles, meeting regularly for the purposes of evangelism,
nurture,
fellowship and worship. The
consisting
of those members within district conferences and local churches who, as
members
of the body of Christ, hold the faith set forth in these Articles of Religion
and
acknowledge the ecclesiastical authority of its governing bodies.
Matt.
15:22; 20:28; 1 Cor. 1:2; 12:28;
16:1; 2 Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:2; Eph.
1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:9-10, 21; 5:22-33; Col. 1:18, 24; 1 Thess.
1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1; 1
Tim. 3:15; Heb. 12:23; James 5:14.
17. The Sacraments: Baptism and the
Lord’s Supper
242. We believe that water baptism and the
Lord’s Supper are the
sacraments
of the church commanded by Christ and ordained as a means of
grace
when received through faith. They are tokens of our profession of
Christian faith and signs of
God’s gracious ministry toward us. By them, He
works
within us to quicken, strengthen and confirm our faith.
We believe that water baptism is a sacrament of the church,
commanded
by our Lord and
administered to believers. It is a symbol of the new covenant
of grace and signifies
acceptance of the benefits of the atonement of Jesus Christ.
By means of this sacrament, believers declare their faith in
Jesus Christ as Savior.
Matt. 3:13-17; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 3:5, 22, 26; 4:1-2;
Acts 2:38-39, 41; 8:12-17, 36-38; 9:18; 16:15, 33; 18:8; 19:5;
Col. 2:11-12; Titus 3:5.
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a sacrament of
our redemption by
Christ’s death and of our hope in His victorious
return, as well as a sign of the
love
that Christians have for each other. To such as receive it humbly, with a
proper
spirit and by faith, the Lord’s Supper is made a means through which
God communicates grace to the heart.
Matt. 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20; John 6:48-58;
1 Cor. 5:7-8; 10:3-4, 16-17;
18. The Second Coming of Christ
244. We believe that the certainty
of the personal and imminent return
of Christ inspires holy
living and zeal for the evangelization of the world. At
His return He will fulfill all prophecies made concerning
His final and
complete
triumph over evil.
Job 19:25-27; Isa. 11:1-12; Zech.
14:1-11; Matt. 24:1-51; 25;
26:64; Mark 13:1-37; Luke 17:22-37; 21:5-36; John 14:1-3;
Acts 1:6-11; 1 Cor.
1:7-8; 1 Thess.
5:1-11, 23; 2 Thess. 1:6-10; 2:1-12;
Titus 2:11-14; Heb. 9:27-
28; James 5:7-8; 2 Peter 3:1-14; 1 John 3:2-3; Rev. 1:7; 19:11-
16; 22:6-7, 12, 20.
19. The Resurrection of the Dead
246. We believe in the bodily resurrection
from the dead of all people—
of the just unto the
resurrection of life, and of the unjust unto the resurrection
of damnation. The
resurrection of Christ is the guarantee of the resurrection
which
will occur at Christ’s Second Coming. The raised body will be a
spiritual
body, but the person will be whole and identifiable.
Job
8; Luke 14:14; 24:1-53; John
Acts 1:3; Rom.
1 Thess. 4:13-17; Rev. 20:4-6, 11-13.
20. The Judgment of All Persons
248. We believe that the Scriptures reveal
God as the Judge of all and the
acts
of His judgment are based on His omniscience and eternal justice. His
administration
of judgment will culminate in the final meeting of all persons
before
His throne of great majesty and power, where records will be examined
and
final rewards and punishments will be administered.
Eccl. 12:14; Matt. 10:15; 25:31-46; Luke 11:31-32; Acts 10:42;
2 Peter
3:7; Rev. 20:11-13.
CONSTITUTION 265
23
21. Destiny
250. We believe that the Scriptures clearly
teach that there is a conscious
personal
existence after death. The final destiny of each person is determined
by God’s grace
and that person’s response, evidenced inevitably by a moral
character
which results from that individual’s personal and volitional choices
and
not from any arbitrary decree of God. Heaven with its eternal glory and
the
blessedness of Christ’s presence is the final abode of those who choose
the
salvation
which God provides through Jesus Christ, but hell with its
everlasting
misery and separation from God is the final abode of those who
neglect
this great salvation.
Dan. 12:2; Matt. 25:34-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 13:3; John
8:21-23; 14:2-3; 2 Cor. 5:6, 8, 10;
Heb. 2:1-3; 9:27-28; 10:26-
31; Rev. 20:14-15; 21:1—22:5, 14-15.
Article 3.
Covenant Membership Commitments
260. To be identified
with an organized church is the blessed privilege
and
sacred duty of all who are saved from their sins and are seeking
completeness
in Christ Jesus. From the Church’s beginnings in the New
Testament age, it has been understood
that such identification involves
putting
off the old patterns of conduct and putting on the mind of Christ. In
maintaining
this Christian concept of a transformed life, The Wesleyan
Church intends to relate timeless biblical principles to the
conditions of
contemporary
society in such a way as to respect the integrity of the individual
believer,
yet maintain the purity of the Church and the effectiveness of its
witness.
This is done in the conviction that there is validity in the concept of
the
collective Christian conscience as illuminated and guided by the Holy
Spirit.
The following items (265) represent historic, ethical and practical
standards
of The Wesleyan Church. While it is hoped that our people will
earnestly
seek the aid of the Spirit in cultivating a sensitivity to evil which
transcends
the mere letter of the law, it is expected that those entering into
Covenant Membership shall follow carefully and
conscientiously these guides
and
helps to holy living. Disregard of the principles embraced in these
Covenant Membership Commitments subjects a member to Church
discipline
(268).
265. Those admitted to Covenant Membership
in our churches commit
themselves
to demonstrate their life in Christ in such ways as:
Toward God
(1) To reverence the name of God and to honor the
Lord’s Day by
divine
worship and spiritual edification, participating in those activities which
contribute
to the moral and spiritual purposes of this day.
Gen. 2:3; Ex. 20:3, 7-11; Deut. 5:11-15; Isa.
58:13-14; Mark
(2) To seek only the leading of the Holy Spirit and to
abstain from all forms
of spiritism,
such as the occult, witchcraft, astrology and other similar practices.
Lev. 19:31; 20:6; Deut. 18:10-14; Acts 19:18-19; Gal. 5:19-20.
Toward Self
(3) To exercise faithful stewardship through the wise use of
their time
and
material resources, practicing careful self-discipline in order to further the
mission
of Christ’s church (remembering the principle of tithing which is
basic
to the New Testament standard of stewardship) and to demonstrate
compassion
to those in need.
Prov. 3:9;
Mal. 3:10; Matt. 25:34-40; Acts 20:35; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2
Cor. 9:7;
Eph. 5:16; Col. 3:17; James 2:15-16; 1 John 3:17.
(4) To demonstrate a positive social witness by abstaining
from all
forms
of gambling and by abstaining from using or trafficking (production,
sale
or purchase)* (*See 6805 in Appendix B).
in any substances
destructive to their physical, mental and
spiritual
health, such as alcoholic beverages, tobacco and drugs (other than
proper
medical purposes of drugs); and by refraining from membership in
secret societies
and lodges which are oath bound, believing that the quasireligious
nature
of such organizations divides the Christian’s loyalty, their
secret
nature contravenes the Christian’s open witness and the secret nature of
their
oaths is repugnant to the Christian conscience.
Ex.
principle
of Christian stewardship and the tenth commandment,
is harmful to the
individual in that it is emotionally addictive, is a
poor
example to others, and pollutes the moral climate of society.
Prov. 20:1;
Rom.
Eph. 5:18; 1 Thess.
5:22. Christians are to regard their bodies
as
temples
of the Holy Spirit. While no “thing” of itself is sinful, the
Christian should avoid the use of anything
which would not help
build
the fellowship of the church, would not help the believers to
realize
their full potential in Christ, or which would enslave them.
In the light of the scientific knowledge of our day
concerning the
actual
and potential harm of these substances, total abstinence is
more
in keeping with these biblical principles than is moderation.
Ex. 20:3; Matt. 5:34-36; John 18:20; Acts
4:12; James 5:12.
These prohibitions do not restrict membership in labor,
civic
or other organizations
which do not contradict loyalty to
Christ and the Church.
When in these relationships Christian
principles
are violated, members shall be dealt with because of
such
violations and not because of the membership itself.
Toward Family
(5) To follow the teachings of the Scriptures regarding
marriage and
divorce.
We affirm that sexual relationships outside of marriage and sexual
relationships
between persons of the same sex are immoral and sinful. We
further
affirm that heterosexual monogamy is God’s plan for marriage, and we
regard
sexual sin of the spouse, such as adultery, homosexual behavior,
bestiality
or incest, as the only biblical grounds for considering divorce, and
then
only when appropriate counseling has failed to restore the relationship.
Ex.
(6) To preserve the sanctity of the home by honoring Christ
in every
phase
of family life and by demonstrating Christlike love
(always avoiding
spousal
or child abuse), and by living peacefully with one another, thereby
encouraging
the nurture and education of the children in the Christian faith
so as to bring them
early to the saving knowledge of Christ.
Prov. 22:6;
Mark 10:9; Eph. 5:28; 6:4.
Toward The Church
(7) To work together for the advancement of God’s
kingdom and for
the
mutual edification of fellow believers in holiness, knowledge and love; to
walk
together in Christian fellowship by giving and receiving counsel with
gentleness
and affection; by praying for each other; by helping each other in
sickness
and distress; and by demonstrating love, purity and courtesy to all.
(8) To grow in the knowledge, love and grace of God by
participating
in public worship, the
ministry of the Word of God, the Lord’s Supper, family
and
personal devotions and fasting.
Mark
28; Eph. 6:18; Phil. 4:6; 1 Tim. 2:1-2; 2
Tim. 3:16-17; Heb.
(9) To preserve the fellowship and witness of the Church
with reference to
the
use of languages. The
languages
and the interpretation of languages in its biblical and historical setting.
But it
is contrary to the Word of God to teach that speaking in an unknown tongue
or the gift of tongues
is the evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit or of that
entire
sanctification which the baptism accomplishes; therefore, only a language
readily
understood by the congregation is to be used in public worship. The
scriptural
sanction, or any pattern of established historical usage in the Church;
therefore,
the use of such a prayer language shall not be promoted among us.
Acts 8:14-17; 1 Cor.
12:1—
Toward Others
(10) To do good as much as is
possible to all people as God gives
opportunity,
especially to those in the body of Christ; by giving food to the
hungry,
by clothing the destitute, by visiting or helping those who are sick or
in prison; by
instructing, correcting or encouraging them in love.
Matt. 25:31-46; Eph. 5:11; 1 Thess. 5:14; Heb.
(11) To respect
the inherent individual rights of all persons, regardless of
race,
color or sex.
1 Cor.
(12) To live honestly, be just in all dealings and faithful
in all
commitments.
Eccl. 5:4-5; Rom.
268. These are the Covenant Membership
Commitments of our Church.
We believe all these to be consistent with the principles of
Christ as taught in
the
Word of God, which is the only and sufficient rule both of our faith and
practice.
If any among us do not observe them, and/or habitually break any of
them,
we will admonish such persons in love with the hope of restoring them
to lives of harmony
with the above Covenant Membership Commitments. If
such
efforts of restoration continue to prove fruitless, official action should be
taken toward
termination of said persons’ church membership. However, the
church
members are encouraged to continue efforts toward the spiritual
restoration
of these persons.
Matt. 18:15-17; 1 Cor. 5:6-7, 9-13; 2
Cor. 2:5-7; 5:18-20; 6:14-
18; Gal. 6:1-10; Eph. 4:25-32; Titus 3:10-11.
Article 4.
Elementary Principles
270. Christ is the only Head of the Church,
and the Word of God the
only
rule of faith and conduct.
272. No person who loves the Lord Jesus
Christ, and obeys the gospel
of God our Savior,
ought to be deprived of church membership.
274. Every person has an inalienable right
to private judgment in
matters
of religion, and an equal right to express personal opinions in any way
which
will not violate the laws of God or the rights of others.
276. All church trials should
be conducted on gospel principles only;
and
no minister or member should be excommunicated except for
immorality,
the propagation of unchristian doctrines, or for neglect of duties
enjoined
by the Word of God.
278. The pastoral or ministerial office and
duties are of divine
appointment,
and all ordained ministers in the
ministers
are forbidden to be lords over God’s heritage, or to have dominion
over
the faith of the saints.
280. The Church has a right to form and
enforce such rules and regulations
only
as are in accordance with the Holy Scriptures, and may be necessary or have
a tendency to carry
into effect the great system of practical Christianity.
282. Whatever power may be necessary to the
formation of rules and
regulations
is inherent in the ministers and members of the Church; but so
much
of that power may be delegated from time to time, upon a plan of
representation,
as they may judge necessary and proper.
284. It is the duty of all ministers and members
of the Church to
maintain
godliness and oppose all moral evil.
286. It is obligatory upon ministers of the
gospel to be faithful in the
discharge
of their pastoral and ministerial duties, and it is also obligatory
upon
the members to esteem ministers highly for their works’ sake, and to
render
them a righteous compensation for their labors
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